I'm no artist, but...

Please forgive my absence as of late. Due to various factors pertaining to both school, my social life, and my life as a gamer -- is it just me, or is World of Warcraft addictive? -- I haven't had much time recently to resume writing, peruse the scenic views of ADISC, or do anything meaningful in regards to my writing besides notes.

Only a few moments ago, I finished something that I'm proud of, and for very good reason. Ever since I started writing [i]Misery or Miracle?[/i] two years ago, I always had trouble putting certain things into words. A lot of writers could probably express the same sympathies, and while it doesn't seem like I have trouble putting detail into the scene with words, there are difficulties that come with describing particular features that don't have any absolute way to be called; there are very few words that can properly convey something I wish to. Peculiarly, I've never been able to accurately and precisely articulate the pattern on Aeonis' robe. It's such a complex and inane series of lines that there are no words in the English language, nor in that of any other language, that may be used in relation to the depiction of such a pattern.

For two years, I struggled with finding a way to properly describe the pattern. When that failed, I turned to my trusted MS Paint to do the job. I know it doesn't seem like much, but...I'm very proud of myself for finally taking the initiative required:

It was a very long and grueling process of matching up the lines perfectly and mirroring them...but I think this is as good as I need it to be. Describing is complicated in this instance, which is why I referred to it as something akin to an "ancient box pattern," and I'm starting to realize how very vague saying something like that is. It irritates me to leave something as critical as this to the readers to imagine, only because it's such a subtle and impossible-to-perceive design, and thus I chose to do my best in pursuit of a way in which I could show my readers the real image. Imagine it any other way you like, but this is how it was meant to appear as.

I wonder if there's an artist crazy enough to draw my fursona wearing a robe like that...

Comments

For as much as you want to describe the pattern, regardless of its importance, remember that sometimes, the fewer words make the better descriptions! "Ancient box pattern," really isn't such a bad expression of it... and no matter how you tell the reader, what words you use, what expressions you employ, they're all likely going to see it differently than you are.

If you don't mind me asking, how specifically critical is this pattern to the story? There is nothing wrong in literally *showing* it in some fashion (for there have been plenty of books and stories that have had visual additions, i.e., Tak's journals in The Regulators, and any black-and-white picture can be easily formatted into any text document!

But if the pattern on the robes are only important to you as a writer, it might be something that can be described by simply saying "ancient box pattern." Unless it's somehow important to the plot of the story itself, this might all be otherwise pointless conjecture to describe them precisely how you see them, because others likely won't.

I realize of course that no amount of explaining could properly convey the pattern...but I'm still irritated by that fact. >.> I don't know why; I just...am. I've been searching for a way to say it for two years, now, so I understandably felt the need to make some form of compromise where I couldn't describe it.

And it's not critical...it's just been bugging me for a while...a [i]long[/i] while. ^-^;;